3. Aal-‘Imran/Family of Imran

I/We begin by the Blessed Name of Allah

The Immensely Merciful to all, The Infinitely Compassionate to everyone.

03:01
Alif. Lam. Mim.

03:02
Allah - The One and Only God.
There is no entity of worship apart from HIM.
Allah - the Ever-Living, the Eternal,
Allah – the Self-Subsisting, giving life and sustenance to every existence.

03:03
HE has sent down on to you – O The Prophet - The Book with the Truth
in confirmation of what was before -
HE had sent down both the Torah and the Injeel/Bible, beforehand -

03:04
- as a source of guidance for people, and
HE has now revealed a standard for distinguishing right from wrong – The Qur’an.
As for those who deny and belie the Messages of Allah deliberately, for them will be a punishment, most severe,
for Allah is All-Powerful and Immensely Vengeful.

03:05
a. Truly, nothing is hidden from Allah within the terrestrial world and the celestial realm.

03:06
It is HE WHO forms and gives you a shape in the womb of your mother as HE Wills.
There is no entity of worship apart from HIM.
HE is All-Powerful and All-Wise.

03:07
It is HE WHO has sent down The Book of the Qur’an on to you, O The Prophet.
Among its Messages are some literal.
These Messages are the Foundation of the Book.
However, there are also some Messages which are metaphorical and symbolic - open to a variety of meanings and interpretations.
Those who are twisted of mind and infected with viciousness look for Messages which are metaphorical and symbolic,

seeking mischief and giving them their literal meanings,
while no one knows their literal meanings except Allah.
However, those with insight, affirm:
‘We believe in the whole of it, as all of these are from our Rabb - The Lord.’
Yet no one will understand this except those with insight.

03:08
They pray:
O ‘Our Rabb - The Lord!
Do not let our hearts swerve now that YOU have guided us aright.
And bless us with YOUR Mercy.
Indeed, YOU – YOU alone are the Ever-Benevolent.’

03:09
O ‘Our Rabb - The Lord!
YOU are definitely going to gather the humankind at a Time about which there is absolutely
no doubt.
Indeed, Allah never breaks HIS Promise.’

03:10
As for those who deny and belie the truth of the coming of this Time, neither their riches nor their children/family will help them against Allah’s Judgment.
And, it is they - they will be fuel for the Fire!

03:11
They will be fuel for the Fire just like the People of the Pharaoh, and those faithless before them.
They all belied and denied OUR Miraculous Signs and OUR Revelations.
So Allah seized them for their sins of worshiping entities other than HIM, and their disobedience to the Divine Revelations.
And Allah is Severe in punishment.

03:12
So tell those who disbelieve:
‘You will surely be subdued in the Hereafter and herded towards Hell.
How dreadful a suffering place!’

03:13
There was a lesson for you to learn in the two combat groups, which met at Badr,
one group fighting for the Cause of Allah, and
the other group of disbelieving - fighting for the cause of evil.
They saw the Faithful with their own eyes to be double in numbers as they.
Thus, Allah reinforces with HIS Help whoever HE wants and whenever HE wants.
Indeed, there is a lesson in this to learn for People of Insight.

03:14
Mankind is tempted with love of worldly passions, such as:
the women, and
the children, and
the piles of gold and silver, and
well-bred horses, and

the livestock, and
the farmland.
These are matters of enjoyment of this world only.
While the best of destinations is with Allah – in the Hereafter.

03:15
Say to them:
‘Shall I tell you things even better than that - aforementioned delights/passions?
As for those who are pious – they will have the Paradise from their Rabb - The Lord with rivers/
streams flowing by them.
They will live there forever with purest of companions and contentment from Allah.
And Allah is Fully-Aware of HIS servants.

03:16
Those are HIS true servants who say:
O ‘Our Rabb - The Lord!
Indeed, we - we believe.
So forgive us our oversights and sinful trespasses.
And protect us from the punishment of the Fire!

03:17
The true servants are those who are:
the steadfast in times of stress and duress,
the truthful, and
the devout, and
the generous in spending in the Service of Allah, and
seeking forgiveness for their oversights and sinful trespasses during the wee hours before dawn.

03:18
Allah affirms the truth that there is no entity of worship, and can never be any, but HE
alone,
and as do
the angels, and
those with knowledge being firm in upholding the truth
that there is no entity of worship, and can never be any, but HE alone.
HE is All-Powerful and All-Wise.

03:19
Truly to Allah the right religion is only Islam - unqualified submission to HIM.
The Followers of Former Divine Scriptures did not take to divergent views until after the knowledge of Divine Revelations had come to them, out of animosity and rivalry among themselves.
But whoever of them denies and belies the Revelation/Messages of Allah in The Qur’an should fear the consequences of it because Allah is Swift in settling the accounts.

03:20
Even then if they argue with you, then tell them:
‘I have submitted ‘my face’ to Allah in unqualified submission, and so have those who follow me.’
And ask Followers of Former Divine Scriptures as well as those without one:

‘Will you submit’ to Allah?
Then, if they submit, they will have been guided aright.
But if they turn away, then your duty is only to convey the Message.
And Allah is always Watching HIS servants.

03:21
Indeed, those who
deny and belie the Messages of Allah, and
assassinate the Prophets without any right or reason, and
slay those who advocate a Divine system and justice among people,
give them the good news of an agonizing punishment.

03:22
It is they who will have wasted their good deeds both in this world as well as in the Hereafter.
And they will have no supporters to salvage them in the Hereafter as death would have taken away their supporters.

03:23
Have you not considered those who were given a portion of the Scripture?
They were asked to accept judgment in their disputes according to the Scripture from Allah.
But thereafter some, being averse, turned away.

03:24
Just because they messed up with their beliefs and say:
‘The Fire will not touch us except for a few days.’
Thus the false beliefs which they have fabricated deceived them in their religion.

03:25
How dreadful will it be when WE gather them all together at a Time the coming of which is beyond any doubt,
and everyone will be paid fully what one has earned by deeds and dealings in this life,
and they will not be dealt with any unfairness!

03:26
Proclaim:
‘O Allah!
Master of Sovereignty and Power!
YOU grant authority to whoever YOU Will, and
YOU take away authority from whoever YOU Will.
YOU exalt whoever YOU Will, and
YOU humiliate whoever YOU Will.
All goodness is entirely in YOUR Hand.
Indeed, YOU manifest Sovereignty over all existence.’

03:27
‘YOU make the nighttime merge into the daytime, and
YOU make the daytime merge into the nighttime.
YOU bring out the living from the lifeless, and
YOU bring out the lifeless from the living.
And, YOU grant bountifully to whoever YOU Will, without any measure.’

03:28
The believers should never take the disbelievers as allies in preference to the believers.
Whoever does so should have no expectations of Allah’s Mercy, unless you are seeking to protect yourselves from them as a matter of prudence.
And Allah warns you to beware of HIM – this Divine Injunction.
And to Allah is the ultimate destination where you will stand to account for your preferences contrary to this Injunction.

03:29
Say to them:
‘Whether you conceal whatever is in your hearts, or you reveal it is all known to Allah,
as is known to HIM all existence within the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
And, Allah Manifests Sovereignty over all existence.

03:30
Allah warns you of The Time of Judgment, when
- every person will find whatever good he had done in this life, and
whatever evil he had done,
and will be confronted with it.
And he will wish that there were a great distance between him and it - the evil he had done.
Allah warns you to beware of HIM – HIS punishment -
though Allah is Compassionate to those of HIS servants who take heed.

03:31
Tell them O The Prophet:
‘If you truly love Allah, then follow me!
So that Allah can love you too, and forgive you your oversights and sinful trespasses.
for Allah is All-Forgiving and Compassionate’ to those who follow me.

03:32
Then say:
‘Obey Allah and The Messenger Muhammad!’
And if they turn away, then let them be aware that
Allah has no love for such deliberate deniers of truth!

03:33
Indeed, Allah chose Prophethood in preference to all people of their time,
Adam and Noah, and
the Family of Abraham, and
the Family of ‘Imran.

03:34
They were all of a common line of descent, one following the other;
and Allah is All-Listening and All-Knowing.

03:35
Remember when the wife of ‘Imran prayed:
O ‘My Rabb - The Lord!
I vow to YOU what is unborn in my womb to be wholly dedicated to YOUR Service.
So accept this from me.
Indeed, YOU – YOU alone are the All-Listening to my vow and All-Knowing’ to my intentions.

03:36
So when she had given birth to a female, she said:
O ‘My Rabb - The Lord!
I have given birth to a female’ baby!
But Allah knew very well the value of what she had given birth to -
that a male could not be the same as a female.
‘And, I have named her Mary -
and I give her in YOUR Care and Protection and her descendants from Satan, the accursed.’

03:37
So her Rabb - The Lord accepted her - Mary – graciously.
And caused her to have a good upbringing by entrusting Zechariah with her upbringing.
Whenever Zachariah would come to visit her in the sanctuary, he would find her provided
with food, and he once asked her:
‘O Mary!
From where do you get all this?’
And she replied:
‘This is from Allah.
Indeed, it is Allah WHO provides to whoever HE wants, without measure.’

03:38
Having seen the virtues of and blessings upon Mary,
it was then that Zachariah called out to his Rabb - The Lord.
He pleaded:
O ‘My Rabb - The Lord!
Grant me from YOURSELF a descendant, virtuous.
Indeed, YOU always listen to the pleas.’

03:39
Then the angels called out to him while he was standing in the sanctuary at prayer:
‘Allah gives you the good news of a son named Yahya/John the Baptist -
confirming the truth with a Word from Allah, and
he will be noble and chaste and a Prophet and of the righteous.’

03:40
He – Zachariah, – being astonished, – exclaimed:
O ‘My Rabb - The Lord!
How can I have a son -
while I have attained old age, and my wife is infertile?’
The voice said:
‘So will it be!
Allah does whatever HE Wills.’

03:41
And Zachariah pleaded:
O ‘My Rabb - The Lord!
Give me an indication’ that it would actually happen.
The voice said:
‘The indication for you is that you will not be able to speak to any person for three days
and three nights except through gestures.

And commit yourself to Remembrance of your Rabb - The Lord during this time unceasingly.
And Exalt HIM by the dusk and the dawn.’

03:42
And inform them about the occasion when the angels appeared to Mary and said:
‘O Mary!
Indeed, Allah has
chosen you, and
purified you, and
chosen you over all women of the Worlds.’ 03:43
‘O Mary!
Be devoutly obedient to your Rabb - The Lord.
And prostrate yourself before HIM, and
bow down with those bowing down’ in worship.

03:44
This is of the narratives, the previously unknown to you, that WE reveal to you, O The Prophet, as you are the Recipient of OUR Revelations,
for you were neither by them when they cast lots with quills or reeds to determine which of them would take care of Mary,
nor were you by them when they were disputing’ over the outcome.

03:45
And also inform them about the occasion when the angels again returned to Mary and
said:
‘O Mary!
Indeed, Allah gives you the good news of a Word from HIM,
whose name will be the Messiah/Christ, Jesus, son of Mary.
He will be highly honored in this world as well as in the Hereafter,
and where he will be the one among those nearest’ to Allah.

03:46
‘Jesus –
He will speak to the people from the cradle and also when he will be in the prime of life;
and, he will be of the righteous.’

03:47
She said:
O ‘My Rabb - The Lord!
How can I possibly have a baby when no man has ever touched me’ in cohabitation?
The voice said:
‘Thus it is!
Allah creates whatever HE wants.
Whenever HE decrees a matter,
He just says to it:
‘Be!’
And, it starts becoming’ to completion with perfection.

03:48
‘And HE will teach him - Jesus - the law and the wisdom,
and the Torah and the Injeel/Bible.’

03:49
‘And he - Jesus – will be a Messenger assigned to the Descendants of Jacob, proclaiming:
‘I have come to you with some miracles from your Rabb - The Lord –
that I will create the likeness of a bird for you out of clay, then breathe into it, and by the Will of Allah, it will be a live bird;
that I will heal the blind and the leper, and give life to the dead, by the Will of Allah;
that I will inform you about what you consume and what you store in your homes,
by the Will of Allah.
Indeed, in all this will be a great Sign/wonder for you if you believe’ in my Divine Mission.

03:50
‘And I will also confirm that which was before me of the Torah,
and, I will make lawful for you some of the things that were unlawful to you until now,
and I have come to you with an authority of relaxing some of your dietary restrictions from your Rabb - The Lord.
Therefore, be fearful of Allah and obey me.’

03:51
‘Indeed, Allah is my Rabb - The Lord, as well as your Rabb - The Lord,
so submit to HIM in worship, awe, and piety!
This is the Right Path.’

03:52
But when Jesus sensed disbelief of his people.
So he looked for supporters, asking:
‘Who will be my supporters for the Cause of Allah?’
Then a group of supporters, apostles, assured:
‘We will be the supporters in the Cause of Allah.
We believe in Allah.
And you be our witness that we are truly submitted’ to HIM in worship, awe, and piety – we are Muslims.

03:53
The apostles continued:
‘O Our Rabb - The Lord!
We believe in what YOU have sent down – Injeel/Bible,
and we follow the Messenger Jesus.
So inscribe us among the witnesses’ to The Truth that Jesus has brought to us.

03:54
However, it was not long before that they, the disbelievers amongst Jews contrived a plot
against Jesus,
though Allah too planned to foil their plot.
Indeed, Allah is the Best of Planners.

03:55
Remember when Jesus’ people willfully denied and belied him, Allah said:
‘O Jesus!
I am going to make you die and raise you up to ME.
And I will purify you of the disbelief of those who disbelieve.

And I will exalt those who follow you over those who have denied and belied you even until the Time of Resurrection.
Then all of you will return to ME, and
I will judge between you in those matters of faith about which you differed.’

03:56
‘As for those who denied and belied your mission and the message, O Jesus, I am going to punish them with a severe punishment - both in this world as well as in the Hereafter,
and they will have no helpers’ against MY Punishment.

03:57
‘As for those of them who believe in your mission and message, and practice righteousness, HE will pay them their reward in full;
but Allah has no love for the unfair people.’

03:58
Thus WE are relating to you - O The Prophet - of the events about Jesus.
And these are the reminders full of wisdom and truth.

03:59
Indeed, the likeness of Jesus’ birth in the Sight of Allah is as the likeness of Adam’s creation.
HE created him – Adam - out of dust.
And then HE Commanded him - the creation of Adam:
‘Be!’
And there he was.

03:60
This is the truth from your Rabb - The Lord about Jesus.
So do not be of those who doubt his birth without a father and related events.

03:61
However, if someone argues with you about it even after this Divine knowledge has come to you,
then just tell them:
‘Come on!
Let us meet together:
we call our children and you call your children, and we call our women and you call your women, and ourselves and yourselves, too.
And, then, let us pray earnestly and call down Allah’s curse upon the liars.’

03:62
Surely this – this indeed is the true account of Jesus.
There is no entity of worship apart from Allah alone.
And it is Allah WHO is All-Powerful and All-Wise.

03:63
And if they still turn away,
then remember Allah is definitely Well-Aware of the promoters of religious discord.

03:64
Tell them:
‘O Followers of Former Scriptures!

Let us agree on the common discourse between us and you:
that we shall not submit in worship to any entity but Allah alone, and
we shall not ascribe any partners in Unity, Divinity, and Uniqueness to HIM, and
that none of us shall take any human being for lordship in place of Allah.’
And if they turn away, then let it be so, but you tell them:
‘Be a witness!
Indeed, we have submitted ourselves’ in unqualified submission to Allah.

03:65
‘O Followers of Former Scriptures!
Why do you dispute Abraham’s faith?
And if you allege that he followed a Jewish or a Christian doctrine, then it is not so because
the Torah and the Injeel/Bible were not even revealed until long after him.
Will you not be reasonable?’

03:66
‘Consider.
You are those who argue over matters which you already know.
But why do you argue over matters that you do not even know, like Abraham’s faith?
Clearly, it is Allah WHO knows, whereas you do not know.’

03:67
And Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian.
Rather he was
Haneef -
a monotheist who submitted to Allah – a Muslim, and
he was never of the idol-worshipers.

03:68
Of all people nearest to Abraham are actually those
who followed him during the term of his mission, and
as does this Prophet Muhammad now, and
all those who believe with him.
And Allah is the Protector of such believers.

03:69
A section among Followers of Former Scriptures desperately wish if you were also misled
like them -
yet they mislead no one except themselves, while not even realizing it.

03:70
‘O Followers of Former Scriptures!
Why do you deny and belie Allah’s Messages in the Qur’an while having witnessed them yourselves through the Torah and the Injeel/Bible?’

03:71
‘O Followers of Former Scriptures!
Why do you wrap the truth with the falsehood,
and conceal the truth of the Divine descent of the Qur’an even though you know it!?’

03:72
And a section among the Followers of Former Scriptures says:

Tell the Muslims you ‘believe in what was sent down to the believers of the Qur’an at the start of the day, but then denounce’ it later in the day;
with this tactics, they might perhaps turn back the weak-minded to their original faith.

03:73
And do not trust anyone except those who follow your religion.
Say to them O The Prophet:
‘Indeed, the true guidance is Allah’s Guidance - i.e., Islam.
But you think it is not possible for anyone to be given the same Revelation by way of the Qur’an as you were given earlier by way of the Torah and the Injeel/Bible,
or, that they could use it to argue against you in the presence of your Rabb - The Lord?’
Then tell them:
‘All favors are in Allah’s Hand.
HE grants of HIS Favors to whoever HE wants.
Indeed, Allah is All-Encompassing and All-Knowing’ upon whom to bestow HIS Favors.

03:74
HE singles out for HIS Mercy whoever HE decides -
for Allah is the Possessor of Boundless Favors.

03:75
There are still some honest people among the Followers of Former Scriptures.
You trust them with a whole treasure and they will return it to you.
Yet there are some among them too, whom if you give even a dinar/gold coin, he will not return it to you until you kept standing over him constantly demanding it.
That is because they say:
‘We are under no obligation by our faith to return it to the non-Jews’ - and thus we commit no sin.
And, they allege a terrible falsehood against Allah and they know well what they are alleging.

03:76
Not so!
Whoever fulfills his promise and guards himself against evil,
should know that Allah loves those who guard themselves against evil.

03:77
Truly those who barter away Allah’s Covenant and their oaths for a small worldly benefit
will have no share in the blessings and reward of the Hereafter.
Allah will neither addresses them,
nor look at them during the Time of Resurrection,
nor cleanse them of their oversights and impieties.
And for them will be a punishment, most painful.

03:78
And among them is indeed a section that twists in reading the Scripture with their tongues in a way that though it sounds like the Scripture, in fact, it is not from the Scripture.
Yet they claim:
‘This is from Allah – while they know that it is not from Allah.’
Thus, they allege a falsehood against Allah, and they know it.

03:79
It is inconceivable that a person whom Allah has granted the Scripture and the Divine Law and the Prophethood will say to the people:
‘Worship me apart from Allah!’
No. Never!
Rather he would say:
‘Be true guides because of what you have been teaching of the Scripture and by what you have been studying’ of it.

03:80
And he will never ask you to take the angels and the Prophets as your lords for worship apart from Allah.
Would he persuade you to disbelieve in Allah after you have submitted to Allah and have become Muslim?
No. Never!

03:81
And remember when Allah made a Covenant with the former Prophets - binding on their followers, saying:
‘I have given you of the law and the wisdom,
then when another Messenger is assigned to you – after your time - confirming the truth already with you of the Scripture,
then you – your followers - are to believe in him, and
you are to support him’ in pursuit and success of his mission.
Then Allah asked:
‘Do you accept and make it binding on yourselves?’
To which they answered:
‘Yes, We accept.’
Then HE said:
‘Then you be witnesses to your promise.
And I too am with you, as a witness.’

03:82
‘Then whoever would turn away from this Covenant after this,
it is they who will be the willful transgressors and thus MY Wrath will befall them.

03:83
Are they seeking a religion other than Allah’s Religion of submission to HIM in awe, reverence and worship?
While to HIM submit whatever exists within the celestial realm and the terrestrial world,
either obediently or by compulsion.
And even though to HIM will they all be returned.

03:84
Say to them:
‘We believe in
Allah, and
what has been sent down onto us by way of The Qur’an, and
what had been sent down on to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the clans of Jacob, and
what had been given to Moses and to Jesus and to all other Prophets before them from their Rabb - The Lord.

We make no distinction between any of them,
and to HIM we submit’ in awe, reverence, and worship – we are Muslims.

03:85
‘And whoever seeks a religion other than unqualified submission to Allah – Islam - this will not be accepted from him.
So, in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers.’

03:86
How will Allah guide aright those who,
disbelieve after having believed –
even though they had testified to the truth of the Messenger,
and the Clear Messages had come to them?
Thus, Allah will not guide such wrong-doing people to HIS Religion.

03:87
a. Such are the people whose payback is that Allah’s Curse shall fall upon them and the curse of the angels and of all people - all together.

03:88
They will remain therein forever.
The agony of their punishment will neither be lightened nor will they be given respite -

03:89
except for those among them who repent and reform during their lifetime.
Indeed, HE will accept their repentance for Allah is Forgiving to the repentant and
Merciful to those who live and die repentant.

03:90
As for those who disbelieve after having believed, and then grow even more stubborn in their disbelief,
their repentance will not be accepted.
And it is they who are truly misguided and lost.

03:91
Indeed, those who disbelieve and die while disbelieving,
will never be able to ransom themselves - not even with all the world’s gold.
It is those – for them will be an awful punishment,
and they will not have anyone to help them.

03:92
O The Faithful!
You will never attain true standard of righteousness and piety until you spend in the Cause of Allah out of what you love the most.
And whatever you spend, you will be rewarded for it for surely Allah Knows it well.

03:93
All and every food was made lawful for the Descendants of Jacob except for what Israel/
Jacob had made it unlawful for himself.
This was long before The Torah was revealed onto Moses.
If they disagree with the lifting of some dietary restrictions, then tell them:
‘Bring the Torah and read of it, if you are really honest!’

03:94
And whoever fabricates lies against Allah about the Divine dietary guidelines even after this clarification,
then it is they – they are the unjust people.

03:95
Say to them:
‘Allah has spoken The Truth.
So now follow the religion of Abraham, haneef.
And he was definitely not of the idol-worshipers.’

03:96
Indeed, the first House of Allah ever to be set up for the people to worship Allah was at Bakkah.
It is a blessed place.
And an epicenter of guidance for people of the Worlds.

03:97
In it are clear marks of its sanctity.
For example, one is the standing place of Abraham where he used to stand in devout worship of Allah.
And whoever enters it will find spiritual peace and physical security.
And whoever can afford – physically and financially – to visit it must do Hajj of The House as a duty to Allah.
But whoever does not do so despite afford-ability should know that Allah is Self-Sufficient
and beyond the need of any of the worlds.

03:98
Say to them:
‘O Followers of Former Scriptures!
Why do you disbelieve the truth of Allah’s Messages in The Qur’an,
even when Allah is Witness to everything you do’ and will requite you for it?

03:99
Ask them:
‘O Followers of Former Scriptures!
Why do you try to turn the believers away from the Path of Allah?
Attempting to make it seem deviant, while you are witnesses to the Truth of its Divine descent.
And Allah is not unmindful of what you are doing’ and requite you for it.

03:100
O The Faithful!
If you listen to what a section of the Followers of Former Scriptures says,
they might confuse you into renouncing your faith after you have believed.

03:101
And how could you renounce your faith while the Messages of Allah are being recited to you, and HIS Prophet Muhammad is among you?
And whoever holds fast to Allah through the Qur’an and HIS Prophet will definitely be
guided towards a Right Path.

03:102
O The Faithful!
Be aware of Allah with all awareness of HIM,
and do not let death come upon you without being in a state of unqualified submission to HIM – be a truly devout Muslim!

03:103
And hold on firmly, all together, to Allah’s Rope – The Qur’an,
and never be divided among yourselves.
And remember Allah’s Favors upon you - when you were enemies to one another,
then HE reconciled your hearts, and you became brethren in faith through HIS Favor.
And you were once on the edge of a pit of fire, but HE saved you from it.
Thus does Allah explain to you HIS Messages so that you may be guided aright.

03:104
So let there be a dedicated group among you,
calling people to virtue,
promoting whatever is recognized as right, and
preventing whatever is recognized as wrong and unethical-
for it is they who will be the successful in the Hereafter.

03:105
O The Faithful!
And do not be like those Jews and Christians who divided themselves and took to different views even after clear proofs of Divine Revelation had come to them.
And it is they for whom will be an awful punishment -

03:106
- at the Time of Final Judgment when some faces will be glowing bright with hope and some faces will be darkened with despair.
As for those with darkened faces, they will be asked:
‘Did you disbelieve with contempt the Divine Truth after having once believed and continued in this state without remorse and repentance?
So now taste the punishment for your persistent denial!’

03:107
As for those with glowing faces, they will be under Allah’s Mercy,
wherein they will remain eternally.

03:108
Indeed, these are the Messages of Allah that WE are reciting onto you O The Prophet in all
truth.
And Allah does not want to do any injustice to anyone among the humankind.

03:109
Everything within the celestial realm and within the terrestrial world belongs to Allah,
and all matters will go back to Allah for judgment and award.

03:110
O The Faithful!
You are to be the noblest community ever raised for the good of humankind as long as you are

promoting whatever is recognized as right, and
preventing whatever is recognized as wrong, and
believing in Allah.
Now if the Followers of Former Scriptures too believe - as you believe - it would indeed be better for them.
Nevertheless, some of them are true believers, but most are those who have overstepped the limits.

03:111
However, they can certainly cause you no real harm but only a little nuisance;
and when they fight against you, they will only turn their backs and flee, then they will not be helped.

03:112
Humiliation will be stamped upon them wherever they are unless they hold on to the
covenant with Allah and covenant with people of faith, righteousness, and piety,
for they have earned Allah’s Wrath.
And humiliation and misery has been stamped upon them because they
have been denying the Messages of Allah, and
assassinating the Prophets without any right and reason, and
rebelling against the Divine Law, and
over-stepping the limits set by their Rabb - The Lord.

03:113
Yet they are not all alike.
A section among the Followers of Former Scriptures is firmly committed to its covenant with Allah.
They recite Allah’s Scriptures through hours of the night
and prostrate themselves before HIM in submission, awe, and worship.

03:114
They
believe in Allah, and
the Last Hour, and
try to promote whatever is recognized as right, and
try to prevent whatever is recognized as wrong, and
are quick in alms-giving.
It is they who are among the righteous.

03:115
And whatever good they do will not go unrewarded -
for Allah knows of those who remain mindful of HIS obedience.

03:116
As for those who disbelieve, neither their wealth nor their children/family will be of any
benefit to them before Allah.
They will be People of the Fire,
therein to stay forever– with no respite, with no exit.

03:117
The likeliness of what they spend in the life of this world is like a gale,
which destroys the crops of a people who had been unfair to themselves.

Allah was not unfair to them;
rather, it was they who were unfair to themselves.

03:118
O The Faithful!
Do not confide in persons outside the circle of the persons of your faith.
They spare no effort to corrupt your ethics and values and want to see you in situations that cause you suffering.
Their hatred is apparent from their mouths in what they say and state in media and privately.
Yet what they hide in their hearts is far worse.
WE are making OUR Instructions clear to you, only if you would understand the danger involved in befriending them.

03:119
Just think!
You are the ones who hold them in love/loving friendship -
they have no love for you - even though you believe in their Scriptures wholeheartedly.
And whenever they meet you, they say:
‘We believe too!’
Yet when they are alone by themselves, they bite their fingertips in the rage of hatred and condemnation against you.
Say to them:
h ‘Die in your rage!
i. Allah is Well-Aware of whatever hatred and grudge is within your hearts.’

03:120
If some good comes your way, it distresses them,
but if some misfortune befalls you, they rejoice over it.
However, if you remain patient and guard yourselves against the temptation of evil,
their evil plans and media machinations will never cause you any real harm.
Indeed, Allah fully encompasses all that they do by way of conspiring and lobbying.

03:121
Remember when you – O The Prophet - left your family at daybreak to assign the Faithful their positions for the battle at Uhud.
Allah was listening to everything, and HE knew all about it.

03:122
Remember when two of your contingents were inclined to lose heart -
though Allah was their supporter.
And the Faithful should always entrust themselves to Allah,

03:123
And certainly, it was Allah WHO gave you victory at Badr at a time when you were weak,
few and helpless.
Therefore, remain mindful of Allah,
and be grateful to HIM.

03:124
Remember when you – O The Prophet – were telling the Faithful:
‘Will it not be sufficient for you to know that your Rabb - The Lord will send three thousand angels, especially to your help?’

03:125
‘Yes indeed!
If you hold firm and guard yourselves and even if the enemy suddenly attacks you,
your Rabb - The Lord will immediately send five thousand angels especially designated.’

03:126
And Allah brought it as good news for you just to reassure your hearts through it.
And no victory comes your way except from Allah,
for HE is the All-Powerful and the All-Wise.

03:127
So that HE may either cut down a section of those who disbelieve or repulse them,
so that they should retreat disappointed and in frustration.

03:128
You – O The Prophet - have nothing to do with the matter.
HE will either accept their repentance or punish them.
Surely they are and have been unfair and wicked.

03:129
Everything within the celestial realm and within the terrestrial world belongs to Allah.
HE forgives whoever HE wants and punishes whoever HE wants.
Allah is Ever-Forgiving and Ever-Kind.

03:130
O The Faithful!
Do not live on interest-money -
making it doubled and redoubled on capital borrowings.
But fear Allah and do not live on interest-money.
Thus you can be truly successful in the Sight of Allah.

03:131
a. And beware of the Fire prepared for the disobedient to the Divine Injunction.

03:132
And obey Allah and the Messenger Muhammad,
so that you may be treated with mercy and compassion.

03:133
And be quick in seeking forgiveness from your Rabb - The Lord,
and the Paradise –
whose width is like the celestial realm and the terrestrial world,
prepared only for those who guard themselves against Allah’s disobedience …...

03:134
those who give out in alms in their good times as well as in their bad times,
and who restrain their temper and pardon other people’s faults.
And Allah loves such people who seek excellence in virtue.

03:135
And those who, when they commit an act of indecency or are unfair to themselves,
they remember Allah unceasingly and seek forgiveness for their sinful trespasses.

And who can forgive sinful trespasses except for Allah!?
And they do not consciously repeat and persist in doing what they did.

03:136
These - their reward will be forgiveness from their Rabb - The Lord,
and Paradise with rivers/streams flowing by.
They will live in there – never to leave, never to die.
How incredible is this reward for their deeds, speech, and dealings of righteousness!

03:137
Many generations have passed away before you;
so travel around the world and see the fate of those who belied and denied The Truth.

03:138
This – Qur’an - is a clear manifestation for the people,
and a source of Guidance and instruction for the reverent.

03:139
So do not lose heart and do not get depressed for what befell you at Uhud.
And be confident that you will prevail over your opponents if you are true believers.

03:140
If you have been wounded, then other people had been wounded likewise.
WE cause days like this of victory and of defeat to alternate among the people,
so that Allah can make known those who believe firmly and truly,
and also to choose from among them some who testify the Truth with their lives in
battlefields.
But Allah has no love for the unfair, evildoers.

03:141
This is so that Allah may distinguish those who believe by putting them to the test,
and gradually blot out the disbelievers.

03:142
Do you reckon that you could enter the Paradise while Allah has not yet made evident those among you who would strive in HIS Cause,
and made evident those among you who would actually persevere under pressure?

03:143
Certainly, you used to long for death - martyrdom - before you encountered it in the
battlefield.
So now you have encountered it and you are stunned!

03:144
Muhammad is no more than a Messenger of Allah.
Many Messengers have already passed away before him.
So what if he were to die or be assassinated, would you then turn back on your heels and leave his mission and the message?
No. Never!
But whoever would turn back on his heels will certainly cause no harm to Allah for HE is Ever- Living and HIS Message will live till the celestial realm and the terrestrial world remain.
And Allah will reward the grateful – those who live their lives with HIS Religion.

03:145
And no one can die except with Allah’s Permission – it is determined in writing.
And whoever desires the reward of this world, WE will give a share of it to him here;
and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter, WE will give a share of it to him there.
In any event, WE will reward all the grateful, all the Faithful.

03:146
Many Prophets had many men of faith to fight alongside them.
But they
neither lost heart even after all that afflicted them in the Cause of Allah,
nor weakened in resolve,
- nor surrendered when suffering befell them.
Indeed, Allah loves those who endure such afflictions with patience.

03:147
They would not say a word in the complaint but:
O ‘Our Rabb - The Lord!
Forgive us our oversights and our overindulgences in life, and
make our foothold firm, and
help us to victory against the disbelieving people.’

03:148
So Allah rewarded them in this world,
and a glorious reward awaits them in the Hereafter -
for Allah loves those who seek excellence in goodness.

03:149
O The Faithful!
Should you ever yield to the pressure of those who disbelieve,
they might cause you to turn on your heels - from belief to disbelief by following their values, norms, and systems,
and you will thus be the losers.

03:150
No - by no means – they are not your supporters!
Allah is your Patron, and
HE is the best of supporters.
So obey HIM!

03:151
WE are soon going to cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve in ascribing entities of worship to Allah -
a position for which HE has never sent down any authorization.
Thus their home will be the Fire,
and what an awful place for such wrongdoers!

03:152
Allah was certainly fulfilling HIS Promise to you when you were slewing them by HIS Will
at Uhud,
until when you lost heart and failed to keep up the vigil and left the mountain pass unmanned,

and disputed for sharing the spoils of war, and thus disobeyed the Prophet in the midst of battle.
Some of you desired the things of this world and others desired for the Hereafter.
Then, HE prevented you from winning so that HE might test you with a defeat.
Nevertheless, HE has now forgiven you for your failures and disobedience to the Prophet.
Indeed, Allah is Gracious towards the believers.

03:153
Remember as you were fleeing Mount Uhud without turning back, not even listening to anyone,
though The Messenger was behind you, calling you to come back and fight against the
enemy, but you even ignored him.
So HE afflicted you with sorrow upon sorrow that you may not grieve over the missed opportunity and what afflicted you – defeat and disaster.
And Allah is Well-Aware of whatever you do.

03:154
Then, after the sorrow and defeat, HE surrounded you with feelings of calm,
and sent down sanctity in sleepiness,
while others were obsessed with self-pity and regret about themselves, and entertaining thoughts of pagan ignorance against Allah.
They were saying among themselves:
‘Do we have any role in this affair?’
Tell them:
‘Indeed, this affair belongs entirely to Allah.’
They hide their true feelings within themselves that they do not disclose to you O The Prophet.
They complain:
‘If we had any role in this affair, we would not have fought this battle and been killed here.’
Tell them:
‘Even if you had stayed home, those destined to be dead would still have gone to their place of eternal rest’ – death and burial.
It was imperative as Allah had to test what was in your hearts and purge any impurities in your hearts.
Indeed, Allah Knows what was in their hearts.

03:155
As for those of you who turned their backs and ran away on the day the two combat groups met at ‘Uhud were surely induced by Satan because of some sinful acts they had committed earlier.
However, Allah forgave them.
Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving and All-Forbearing.

03:156
O The Faithful!
Do not be like those who disbelieve and say of their brethren who died while traveling in the land or in battle:
‘If only they had stayed with us they would have neither died nor been slain.’
This happened so that Allah may fill their hearts with regret.

It is Allah WHO gives life as well as death.
Indeed, Allah is Watchful over whatever you do’ and whatever they say.

03:157
If you are slain in the Cause of Allah, or you die a natural death,
the forgiveness and mercy of Allah are definitely better than all that they are amassing – of wealth and renown in this world.

03:158
And whether you die or are slain in serving the Cause of Allah, in either case,
it is to Allah that you are going to be gathered for judgment and awards.

03:159
So it was only due to Allah’s Mercy that you – O The Prophet - dealt with them gently -
for if you had been stern and hard-hearted, they would have broken away from you.
So pardon them and seek Allah’s forgiveness for them,
and consult them on relevant matters.
And once you have resolved a matter with their consultation, then trust Allah.
Indeed, Allah loves those who trust HIM.

03:160
If Allah is there to support you, then there is no one to overcome you.
But if HE abandons you, who can support you after HIM?
So in Allah alone should the Faithful put their trust.

03:161
It is not fitting for a Prophet to betray his trust,
and whoever betrays his trust will be made to give restitution for what he betrayed at the Time of Final Judgment.
Then everyone will be paid back according to what they earned in their worldly life.
And they will not be treated unfairly.

03:162
So is someone who has pursued ‘Allah’s Pleasure be like someone who has earned Allah’s Displeasure?
No. Never.
His home will be Hell -
and what a dreadful place!

03:163
These two types of people are on entirely different levels and ranks with Allah with regard to the award of rewards.
And Allah is Ever-Watchful over whatever they do.

03:164
Allah has been Gracious to the believers by assigning them a Messenger – Muhammad -
from among themselves,
reciting to them HIS Messages from The Qur’an,
cleansing them of polytheism, dogma, and taboos, and
teaching them the law of governance, and
the wisdom -
though they were clearly lost in error before.

03:165
What!
And it is that whenever a misfortune befalls you even after you have inflicted twice as much
loss on the enemy, you complain:
‘How could this be to us?’
Tell them:
‘You brought this upon yourselves!’
Indeed, Allah Manifests Sovereignty over all existence.

03:166
What happened to you on the day when the two combat groups met at Uhud was by Allah’s Will,
and it happened so that HE may distinguish the believers -

03:167
- and HE may distinguish those too who show hypocrisy.
It happened when they were told:
‘Come on!
Fight in the Cause of Allah or at the very least defend’ yourselves.
And they offered excuses, saying:
‘If we had known a fight was actually going to happen, then we would have surely followed you’ in the battle.
They were much closer to disbelief than to belief at that time -
they were saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts.
Surely, Allah is Well-Aware of what they were hiding of hypocrisy.

03:168
As for those who remained behind from the battlefield and said of their brethren:
‘If only they had listened to us, they would not have gone to the battlefield and been slain.’
Tell them:
If that be so, then ‘ward-off death from yourselves while remaining in your homes if what you say is true.’

03:169
And never think of those who are slain in the Cause of Allah to be dead.
No way!
In fact, they are living and getting nourished by their Rabb - The Lord.

03:170
They are jubilant at what Allah has given them of HIS Grace,
and awaiting the good news about those who are left behind and have not yet joined them,
that there will be neither any fear for them nor will they ever grieve.

03:171
They are rejoicing at Allah’s Kindness and Mercy.
And the fact that Allah would never allow rewards of the believers to go to waste.

03:172
Those who responded to the Call of Allah and The Messenger even after being inflicted by
wounds, and
who do good and are good to others, and

fear the displeasure of Allah,
- will have a glorious reward.

03:173
They are those who were told by others:
Enemy ‘people have amassed a great army to fight and eliminate you.
So fear them!’
But instead of wavering and causing fear, it only increased their faith.
And they said:
‘Allah is Sufficient for us – as we are on Allah’s side.
And HE is the Best of Protectors.’

03:174
So they returned with Allah’s Kindness and Mercy and no harm touched them -
for they sought ‘Allah’s Pleasure.’
Indeed, Allah is the Possessor of Great Benevolence.

03:175
‘It is only Satan who instills the fear of his allies – the disbelievers – in you.
So do not fear them!
Rather fear ME - if you are true believers.’

03:176
And do not be aggrieved by those who are quick to disbelieve.
By doing so they certainly cause no harm to Allah.
It is Allah WHO wants to exclude them from any share of the rewards in the Hereafter -
the only part they are going to have will be awful suffering: Hellfire.

03:177
In fact, those who barter disbelief for belief cause no harm to Allah.
But the punishment for them is going to be really painful.

03:178
Those who adamantly disbelieve should not consider that granting them more time in this life is necessarily to their advantage.
WE are giving them more time only to make them sink deeper into sinfulness and increase in wickedness.
And thus they will only deserve to have a humiliating punishment.

03:179
Allah could not have left you in the state you were in until HE had sifted the wicked from the sincere,
nor will Allah reveal to you HIS secret plan.
But to that end, Allah chooses HIS Messengers as HE Wills.
So believe in Allah and HIS Messengers.
If you believe in Allah and acquire Allah consciousness, you will have a great reward.

03:180
Those who are stingy while spending in the Cause of Allah with what Allah has provided them out of HIS Grace must not think that it will be to their advantage.
No!
In fact, it is going to be terrible for them.

Whatever they are stingy with will be tied around their necks at the Time of Resurrection.
It is Allah WHO will inherit whatever is within the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
Indeed, Allah is Well-Aware of whatever you do.

03:181
Allah has heard the words of those who boasted:
‘Surely Allah is poor, while we are rich!’
WE are going to make a note of what they said, as well as their deeds of assassinating the Prophets without right or reason,
and WE are going to tell them at the Time of Final Judgment:
Now ‘taste the agony of burning’– the Fire of Hell!

03:182
This is the reward for what your own hands have sent forward,
for Allah is never unfair to any of HIS servants.

03:183
They are those who also said that Allah has made a promise to us not to believe in any
Messenger unless he brings us an offering that fire from heaven will consume.
Say to them:
Many ‘Messengers came to you before me with miracles, including what you mentioned, so why did you assassinate them, if you are being so honest?’

03:184
Then if they belie you O The Messenger,
remember so were also other Messengers belied before you,
- who brought miracles, and the Scriptures, and the Luminous Book.

03:185
Every person will experience death.
And your real reward will come to you at the Time of Resurrection.
Whoever is saved from the Fire and admitted into the Paradise will have achieved the real success -
as the life of this terrestrial world is nothing more than a delusion.

03:186
Nonetheless, you are certainly going to be tested through your wealth and your own self,
and you will also hear many hurting and untoward things from the Followers of the Former
Scriptures, and also from those who ascribe entities of worship to Allah.
But if you endure patiently and remain mindful of Allah’s displeasure, it will then prove the strength and firmness of your resolve.

03:187
And remember when Allah covenanted with Followers of Former Scriptures to clearly show the Divine Scripture to people and not to hold it back.
Yet they set aside the covenant and bartered it for a little worldly gain – wealth or renown.
What a despicable bargain they made!

03:188
Do not think that those who exult at what they were given,
and who love to be praised for what they did not do - such as being devout and pious, and defenders of Allah’s law –

- ever think that they will escape the punishment.
In fact, they will have an agonizing punishment

03:189
To Allah belongs the Sovereignty of the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
And, Allah Manifests Sovereignty over all existence.

03:190
Indeed,
in the creation of celestial realm and the terrestrial world, and
in the alternation of the nighttime and the daytime,
are Wondrous Signs for a people of intellect and understanding.

03:191
They are those who remember Allah unceasingly while
standing and sitting, and
lying down on their sides, and
contemplate the creation of celestial realm and the terrestrial world,
saying:
‘O Our Rabb - The Lord!
YOU have not created all this in vain and without purpose.
May YOU be Exalted in your Glory!
So save us from the punishment of the Fire.’

03:192
‘O Our Rabb - The Lord!
YOU disgrace whoever YOU cast into the Fire.
And there will be no help for the deliberate wrongdoers’ against the Fire.

03:193
‘O Our Rabb - The Lord!
We heard the call of one calling us to faith, saying:
‘Believe in your Rabb’ - The Lord!
So we have believed in YOU!
O Our Rabb - The Lord!
So forgive us our oversights and sinful trespasses, and
absolve us of our misdeeds, and
make us die with the virtuous.’

03:194
O ‘Our Rabb - The Lord!
Grant us whatever YOU promised us through the assurance of YOUR Messengers,
and save us from humiliation during the Time of Final Judgment,
- for YOU never break YOUR Promise.’

03:195
So their Rabb - The Lord responded to them saying:
‘I shall never allow any of your good deeds go waste - be they male or female - for each one of you is like the other.
I shall absolve the sinful trespasses of those who
emigrated to Madeenah, and
were forced out of their homes in Makkah, and

were made to suffer for striving in MY Cause, and
who fought in MY Cause and were slain.
I shall most certainly admit them to Paradise with rivers/streams flowing by - a reward
from Allah.
Indeed, with Allah is the best reward’ of all.

03:196
a. Do not be impressed by those who disbelieve as they stride back and forth in the lands
for trade, commerce, and capitalizing on worldly opportunities.

03:197
Their worldly enjoyment is only short-lived,
and then their home will be Hell.
And what a dreadful place it would be!

03:198
However, those who are fearful of their Rabb - The Lord’s disobedience, will have Paradise with rivers/streams flowing by them – living therein – never to leave, never to die,
–hospitality from Allah!
And what is with Allah is far better for the virtuous than every worldly enjoyment.

03:199
Surely there are some among the Followers of Former Scriptures, who believe in:
Allah, and
what is revealed to you, and
what was revealed to them earlier, and
they stand in awe of Allah, and
do not barter Allah’s Messages for little worldly gain or renown.
It is they for whom their reward will be with their Rabb - The Lord.
Indeed, Allah is Swift in settling the accounts.

03:200
O The Faithful!
You shall
endure in suffering, be patient in hard times, and
encourage each other to endure, and
be steadfast in the fight, and
be fearful of Allah’s disobedience.
Thus you can be truly successful in the Sight of Allah.